Italian president: Parliament wasted opportunities

ROME 
Italy's president is lamenting that the soon-to-be dissolved Parliament failed to enact electoral reforms languishing for years and expressed "regret" that Premier Mario Monti abruptly decided to resign early.

President Giorgio Napolitano, whose own term as head of state ends this spring, took lawmakers to task in a year-end speech Monday. He says that as far as reforms go, "it was another lost legislature."

Monti announced recently he will resign as soon as Parliament passes a budget law, likely later this week. Napolitano then will dissolve Parliament and call elections expected in February, two months early.

Napolitano appointed Monti last year to save Italy from falling victim to the eurozone debt crisis and said the premier did well.

Napolitano further scolded lawmakers for failing to fix overcrowding in Italy's prisons.